


Darlin' I'm Drunk

by BurningBroadripple



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Co-workers, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Requited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 04:17:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10403739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurningBroadripple/pseuds/BurningBroadripple
Summary: Leorio and Kurapika are coworkers, and the lonely Kurta can't stop thinking about the tall drink of water from accounting.Just a little self indulgent thing that got out of hand because I just can't with these two. Loosely based on the prompt "Imagine person A always wearing fancy clothes, then one day they decide to wear something casual, and person B thinks it’s the hottest thing ever."





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is the most self indulgent thing I have ever written, and as a result, this is probably a bit OOC for Kurapika. So you've been warned. Also, since this is a modern AU and I figure having your entire clan murdered is not a super realistic modern occurrence in the US, Kurapika's childhood traumas have been changed to something more tangible to me. This is a work of fiction and is not inspired AT ALL by actual events or people. Especially you Ethan. Tease.
> 
> *Also posted to ff, using it as my first posting here to figure things out.*

The sun had set long before, the many high rise business offices in the area now obscured in darkness, leaving the neon lights of the local bars and late night restaurants shining through. It was a Friday night, full of possibilities. It had been months since he'd been out or made the effort to visit his family a few towns over. The truth was Kurapika just enjoyed spending his free time alone for the most part – sure he got lonely sometimes, but that didn't mean he wanted to go out. The truth was he didn't trust easily - any friendships he had were earned over time. His only real friend had known him since childhood - they'd grown up together, struggled together, gone off to college and lived together there. In a way, Kurapika had always thought they'd keep traveling the world together, but after college Pairo had announced he'd gotten a job in France and that was that. The blonde missed having a friend to just stay in with - sharing a bowl and watching Rick and Morty, or getting dressed up just to have an impromptu runway show, or stuffing your face with freshly baked funfetti cake. That was the problem with being in your later 20s, all the things you took for granted in the college setting – like being surrounded by roommates and thousands of other people your age - suddenly disappeared, and you were left living alone with no more built in friends. Finding a new tribe to call your own after that was so much more difficult than he'd imagined, so he'd simply given up and accepted his solitude. He had a lot of coworkers that were his age, and he'd enjoyed his time out with them, but he hadn't had _that_ connection with anyone. Hadn't experienced the moment where you both realize that you have the same really obscure interests that makes you scream "DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS!?" He _had_ seen a glimmer of it once though, a few months before at a happy hour...

* * *

Kurapika was a few ciders in when a colleague had introduced a friend who worked for a different branch of the company. Maybe it was his lowered inhibitions, maybe he was just feeling sassy, but instead of greeting him like a normal person, he'd looked him straight in the eyes and half screamed "He doesn't even go here!" It was the type of thing his friend group would have laughed at, probably even joined in with their own one liners, but none of his coworkers seemed to understand (that's what you get for being a gay man in a straight man's industry). He was just about to turn and walk away with his tail between his legs when the man laughed, a glorious full deep sound that resonated within his chest. When the noise finally died down, he looked him dead in the eye and said "You go Glen Coco," and fucking _winked_ at him. And that's how the blonde knew that Leorio from accounting was his kind of people. Unfortunately, the night had turned out that they hadn't talked much after that moment, and Kurapika went back to his familiar crowd. Maybe another time, he'd thought, and left it at that.

At least until the next Monday. It was the shattering glass effect - Kurapika hadn't really noticed Leorio until that night, but then the following week he suddenly became _hyper_ aware of Leorio's presence. In fact, he found himself running into him everywhere - in the kitchen, when he went to scavenge for leftover treats from the business meetings earlier in the day only to find Leorio had taken the last cinnamon roll, that prick - in the bathroom, when he was really just sitting in the stall on his phone because sometimes you need a break from paper work, only to realize that Leorio was next to him doing the same thing because his shoes were so obvious - even outside, when he had allowed himself a half cigarette to take off the edge that his performance review had left him with, only to find that Leorio was allowing himself a full one just around the corner. And this was how it went for the next few months - Kurapika, continually running into Leorio, as if fate was saying "hey dude, get your shit together and make this guy your friend!", only for Kurapika to tell fate to fuck off and slink back to his desk without having said more than a few words to the taller man.

That didn't mean he didn't think about Leorio, he certainly paid attention to his patterns - he always arrived at 9 and left by 5:30, he drank coffee black, etc - and he allowed himself to listen in on any office gossip that involved the brunette. The problem was that he didn't _know_ Leorio, not really, but he was still inexplicably drawn to him. And when that draw forced him to notice _other_ attributes, like how he always had a sexy layer of stubble on his face the days he seemed tired, or how his pants were perfectly fitted to accentuate his firm butt, or how his eyes twinkled when he found something genuinely funny, he realized he had to put a stop to things. So, logically, he decided to create a list of reasons why he and Leorio would never work out romantically. It is, in fact, a literal list that Kurapika keeps written down and stuffed in desk drawer next to his other personal items because every once in a while his daydreams get a bit too vivid and he has to add another item to the list to keep himself grounded. The list, as it currently stands, is thus:

 **A. Leorio is loud.** The man was clearly never told to use an inside voice as a child, because his normal volume level is what most civilized people would consider yelling, and don't even get Kurapika started on what happens when Leorio's excited, as if the over stimulation forces the words through a funnel in his throat and out Ten. Fucking. Times. Louder. than they would be otherwise.

 **B. Leorio doesn't get fashion.** Sure, he always wears a suit and that is totally appropriate for his position, but he wears the _same_ damn blue suit every day. He's like a cartoon character who was given just the one outfit because, fuck it, drawings different clothes on people is too much work, let's just have them always wear the same damn thing. Kurapika once asked him if he owned multiple of the same as a joke, only to have Leorio respond 100% seriously that yes, he has three identical blue suits that he cycles through because "they're the perfect fit, why fix what isn't broken?"

 **C. Leorio doesn't understand subtly or subtext.** Every morning, he compliments the blonde girl from the 10th floor. Every morning, he comes in to his office with a stupid grin and tell his cubicle mates that she is definitely into him. Every morning, when he walks away to get his first cup of coffee, they laugh about how dense he is because any normal person could see that the blonde girl was 100% not interested in Leorio. In fact, _most_ people realized pretty quickly she wasn't even interested in men, but leave it to Leorio to be convinced a lesbian was in love with him.

 **D. Leorio is good.** Sickeningly so. Wholesome, kind hearted, dependable, hardworking - he is the poster child for good. And Kurapika, well Kurapika has been through some shit. He's done and seen things that most people his age have only experienced vicariously through tv and movies. If you took the movie "Thirteen" and replaced Evan Rachel Wood with Kurapika, you'd have a pretty good idea of what being thirteen really was like for him, and if you extrapolated that another decade or so, you'd have a pretty good idea where Kurapika was now, so yeah, he was definitely not the poster child for good. As cliche as it sounds, people like Leorio just didn't understand people like Kurapika, it's hard to empathize with someone so damaged when the worst thing that ever happened to you was losing the 4th grade spelling bee.

 **E. Leorio is straight.** This is probably the most important reason. It would be good for Kurapika, having a guy friend he knew was completely off limits. It was so much easier when he knew there was no chance of getting attached. Of course it doesn't stop the fantasies, but they'll never come true so what's the harm?

The last item on the list hadn't been confirmed directly, but since he barely spoke to the man, asking him if he was straight seemed unnecessary. It was one Kurapika had added just a few days before when Leorio had come into the office in dark jeans and a casual button up for the first time since Kurapika had started paying attention to him. And he certainly would have notice this particular outfit before because holy shit, Leorio was **_attractive_**. In his mind, this item was the proverbial nail in the coffin, and it was enough to keep the thoughts (mostly) at bay. Of course this was just a list of why he couldn't be interested in Leorio romantically - the truth was he still saw a great potential in him to be a friend, and he promised himself he'd pursue it when the opportunity arose.

* * *

So now on this Friday night, it seemed that the time for him to actually make an effort to get to know Leorio - Leorio in real life mind you, not the characterization he'd created of him in his mind - might have finally come. He hadn't expected anyone else to still be at the office - working late was something he actually enjoyed, but most others left by six at the latest - so the you couldn't blame him for the quiet gasp that escaped his lips or the way his right hand instinctively grabbed at his heart when he turned the corner towards the elevators and nearly ran face first into someone's chest. The look of horror would have dissipated were it anyone else, but of course it was Leorio, and of course he was grinning down at the blond like the damn attractive idiot he was.

"Oh, hey Kurapika, sorry about that! That corner is going to get someone killed one of these days. I almost poured hot coffee on Illumi the other day when I took it too quickly. If looks could kill..." the taller man gave him one of his trademark cheesy grins, one hand was nervously rubbing at the back of his neck, the other fidgeting at his side.

Kurapika did his best to shake himself out of shock and respond. "Uh, yeah. No worries, I'm easily startled, so not your fault." _Great going Kurapika, way to tell him your an anxious mess 90% of the time. Just swell._

They'd both stepped back enough to have a proper conversation, Leorio leaning gently against the wall, blocking the blonde's path. "Oh, well I'm sorry anyway! What are you still doing here at 7:30 on a Friday though?"

The shorter man sighed, _guess this just turned into a hallway conversation.._.

"Well Killua and I had a big date planned, but I had to get that report out since Mr. Morrow wants to review it this weekend, so..." he lifted his hands to either side and shrugged his shoulders, as if to say 'what can you do?'

Leorio's grin faltered, a much smaller one left in its place. "Oh, uh Killua is it? That's your..."

Oh, right. Leorio didn't know anything about him, despite the borderline creepy number of things he knew about him.

"Cat. Killua is my cat Leorio. It was a joke." Kurapika subconsciously knew Leorio wouldn't get the reference, but sometimes his cynicism just couldn't be contained.

"Oh, uh, hahahha, ha, ha. _Right_. Well I don't have any big plans either, Friday nights usually just mean Trader Joe's stir fry and binge watching netflix for me."

Well that sounded painfully similar to Kurapika's intended plans. He decided to make that fact known, just to gauge the taller man's reaction. "Interesting... I'm picking up thai food and taking it back and finishing up Stranger Things."

And there it was, that cheesy smile back on his face. There was a distinct glimmer in his eyes now too that hadn't been there before. **Hook**.

"No way! I just started it last week - I know, I am really behind - but I just didn't have time until now, so I'm only on episode 4."

Kurapika was on the last episode, but the prospect of having a reason to hang out was too good to pass up. "I'm actually on episode 3. It's nice to know I have someone to talk about it with that hasn't finished it yet."

"Yeah definitely, maybe we could watch it together some time!"

 **Line.** _Time for some of that Kurta family charm to seal the deal. Smile, look down coyly, now look up at him through your eyelashes and smirk._

"Sure. You could bail on your awesome plans and join me tonight? I can get take out for two." Kurapika cursed himself - _This is why the list exists! That is not how you ask someone to hang out, that is how you ask someone to bed!_

Of course he didn't really expect Leorio to accept, but he did expect him to at least look pleased at the invitation - Leorio was a pretty cocky guy, after all. Instead his eyes grew wide and he started to fidget again, with an expression that looked almost shy. This was definitely not the reaction he'd expected.

"Oh um well, I-I, you see -"

 _Shit. **Abort! Hook, Line and Abort!**_ Story of Kurapika's fucking life.

"Never mind, that was really last minute, forgive me. Another time then. Goodnight Leorio." The blonde turned and moved to walk around the man as best he could while silently cursing himself for fucking up something as easy as asking someone if they wanted to hang out. Well done Captain Awkward. In his defense, Leorio was just so damn _adorable_ , it did things to Kurapika's brain -things that made him turn a simple invitation to hang into a lust filled offer to netflix and chill.

"Wait, uh Kurapika, could you maybe give me your number? You know, so we could make plans or something for another time?" Leorio had caught up to him, face flushed and frantic.

Maybe he hadn't royally fucked up after all.

"Oh, well, I rarely answer my phone, but I guess it can't hurt?" Why not, at least this way Leorio could contact him if he changed his mind. The ball was out of Kurapika's court, at least. The exchange was brief, and within moments he was on his way out the door, walking to the train with thai food on the mind.

* * *

By the time the blonde had gotten home, double order of chicken pad thai in hand, it was nearly 8:30. Killua was at his feet before he even had a change to set the bag down, scratching at his slacks and demanding to be fed. He knew there was only a window of a few minutes before he became irate and started knocking everything off the shelves, so his dinner would have to wait.

He put down his own dinner on the counter, taking out a small can of food and plate to set it on for his tiny companion instead. "You don't know how spoiled you are, little shit. You're not nice, at all, and yet here I am, feeding you and cleaning up after you, while all you do is lounge around and sleep. Being a cat is the life."

The silver haired feline just stared back at him, looking completely bored. Not that the blonde blamed him - there was absolutely nothing extraordinary about Kurapika, after all. In fact, he was the stereotypical product of middle class american suburbia - huge confidence surged by the fact he was told his entire life that he was special and could accomplish whatever he set his mind to, accompanied by tremendous anxiety and self doubt whenever he failed to accomplish these goals he was supposedly capable of achieving. Add in a pinch of daddy issues, an introduction to drugs and alcohol at the tender age of 12, the existence of Elliott Smith and Bright Eyes during his angst filled youth, and his generation's inability to distinguish between sex and intimacy, and you had a pretty holistic understanding of Kurapika. Of course his parents hadn't been able to know that simply working hard would in fact NOT get Kurapika everything he wanted, and that the dream of a house a husband and 2.5 kids by the time you were in your late twenties was no longer attainable in most metropolitan areas unless you had the fortune of working in a high yield industry because _globalization_ , but it was still a difficult pill to swallow. And now, in his late twenties, despite spending his entire life trying to meet the goals he'd set for himself as a kid, he was still years away from accomplishing them and learning that not only was he not special, his experience was that of the vast majority of other twenty somethings. He suddenly found himself in limbo - he had done everything right, worked hard, gotten his graduate degree, got a job at the right company in the right town, joined the right organizations and put in the time - yet he was still single, renting a tiny apartment he shared with his cat, failing at forming any deep connections, and spending his nights drinking wine and lamenting the fact that somewhere along the line the world had changed, and he had not changed his goals appropriately.

A soft meow broke him out of his thoughts, the small animal demanding to know why Kurapika had yet to put down the plate of food in his hand. He set it down on the floor and watched as Killua ran towards it without so much as a second thought for the person who had supplied it. "Pesky little brat" he muttered after the feline, but it paid him no attention. His own dinner remained forgotten on the counter, but he was in desperate need of a shower and could always heat it up afterwards. Twenty minutes later he was feeling refreshed and ready for a good night in. He threw on his favorite pair of tight black leggings that made his legs look sinfully long and his softest oversize sweater. With no motivation to get fancy, his hair was put up in a messy top knot, knowing full well he'd regret it when it dried into a rats nest but failing to give a shit enough to do anything else - it would have to be future Kurapika's problem. The couch gave way as he nestled into it, re-heated bowl of pad thai in one hand and a glass of his favorite merlot in the other. Now to decide what kinda of movie he was in the mood for. There was always Audrey Hepburn, and he liked that he already knew how each of her movies would end, but he had a long queue of new things on Netflix and Hulu waiting as well...

The blonde had finally narrowed it down between Sabrina, Mean Girls and some sci fi thriller he hadn't seen when the quiet vibration of his phone caught him by surprise. It was a good thing his wine glass was already empty at this point, because he would have definitely poured it all over himself upon seeing the text that had come in.

 **Talldarkandhandsome:** **Hey, any chance you still wanna watch the show together tonight? I thought I'd be at the office a lot later, but I finished up just now.**

_Well this was unexpected..._

Kurapika had never been good at texting etiquette, and playing the game of crafting the perfect response was one he loathed, but he did have enough good sense not to just shoot back the first thing his merlot-soaked mind came up with. He thought about asking Killua what he thought he should say, but the cat wasn't great with this stuff either. The blonde silently cursed himself for not having any human friends to ask advice from.

**Sure, I just got settled in. I have enough food for two if you want.**

**Talldarkandhandsome** **: Great! You're in the north part of town right? Just shoot me your address and I'll be over soon.**

 _Soon? How soon?_ The blonde took a quick glance around and suddenly became anxious at the thought of Leorio seeing his apartment in its current state - clothes littered every surface, some dirty and haphazardly flung about, others clean and folded but never put away. The trash hadn't been taken out in a week and definitely needed to go, the dishes weren't too bad, but he had left some in the sink. The table was littered in half open mail and books. Usually he spent half of Sunday getting the place together knowing that it would get destroyed during the week nights. Friday, he realized, was the worst possible night for a guest, especially a last minute one. He cursed himself for the oversight, shot Leorio a quick text and immediately started about tidying up.

**Just google Whale Point Condos - you can park out on the street anywhere. And let me know when you're 5 minutes out.**

It was only 60 short seconds later when he heard the familiar ding of his phone.

 **Talldarkandhandsome** **: According to Siri, I am 4 minutes away in current traffic. See you soon.**

A frustrated groan left the shorter man's lips as he dashed about his home, doing his best to get everything half way decent in the four short minutes he had left. He heard a car door slam and a text arrive at the exact moment he put the last few items away. It wasn't perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than before and damn impressive for only having 240 god damn seconds to get it together in.

He slipped on a pair of flats and was out the door quickly. The first thing he realized as he saw Leorio walk towards his building was that he loved casual Friday's and the way those same dark jeans hugged the man's hips. The second was that he himself was currently in leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, hair in a topknot a la Pebbles, with a stupid alcohol induced smile smeared across his face.

"Shit! I look ridiculous!" he mumbled to himself. But by the time he had come to the realization, Leorio was standing on the other side of the gate, waiting patiently to be let in. There was no time - he was about to see Kurapika in full on veg mode, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Leorio, welcome to my home." The smaller man held the security gate open and gestured to the courtyard of his complex. "My place is just a few doors down."

As soon as they'd entered the blonde's flat, Leorio was taken back by how put together it all was. Sure, most of the furniture was ikea, but the couches were solid and that table looked like an antique. No photos on the walls, but there were enough paintings to make up for it. "This is quite the place you've got here man, must cost a pretty penny. No wonder you work so much overtime."

"You've figured me out. Just make sure not to tell the higher ups." He flashed the taller man his best smirk before gesturing to the kitchen. "Food and drink is on the counter - help yourself. And why don't you finish off the end of the wine, I was about to open another bottle anyway." He had another bottle corked and poured before his companion could weigh in.

They were finally settled back on the couch ready to start the show, but when Kurapika pulled the Netflix app back up and started to change it to Stranger Things the brunette caught his attention. "Wait! I know the plan was episode 4, but it's Friday night and you were clearly already planning on watching Mean Girls, so maybe we should go that route instead?" The smaller man considered - he really had been leaning towards Mean Girls before he'd gotten the text, and he'd already seen episode 4, 5, 6, and 7, so sitting through them again wasn't his first choice. "Alright, I'm down, but if we're watching an entire movie, I better bring the wine closer."

The next ninety minutes was a blur of the two alternating between being completely captivated, yelling their favorite lines along, and pausing to discuss plot points. Leorio was convinced that "I want my pink shirt back" was a top contender, but Kurapika refused to count it in the top five. Kurapika, in turn, refused to accept that Cady was a virgin, because hello, girls who look like that don't stay virgins for long _even if_ she was home schooled in Africa until that point. Leorio did not agree. Somewhere along the way the wine was gone as well, which only added fuel to the fire.

"They're in high school, of course they're having sex. Anyone who thinks otherwise is lying to themselves." Kurapika was laying on the couch at this point, legs strewn haphazardly across Leorio's lap, back propped up on cushions.

"Hey, not all high schoolers have sex, if they did they'd all get pregnant and die!" The brunette smirked, clearly pleased with his wit.

"Yeah, and I'm straight." The blonde deadpanned. "High school is all about hormones, and hormones are all about fucking. That's all there is to it."

"Well it's totally normal to wait until later for that too though." He sounded a bit offended this time, and the Kurta softened.

"Look, I'm sure you were a total gentleman about the whole thing whenever you did lose your virginity. And it was probably romantic and sweet and all that crap that the Disney channel tells teens it should be. God, I bet you even walked her home afterwards. Oh, or was it at her place, so that she'd feel comfortable?"

"What is this, a trivia game? I feel like I'm playing Clue: The Deflowering..." the brunette was muttering into his wine glass now, but the blonde had still heard.

"Oh my god, fuck yes!" Kurapika had sat up excitedly, dramatically flailing his arms about to punctuate his thoughts. "Ok, it was Leorio and some cute freshman girl - let's call her Jessica, sophomore year of college, in his dorm room with candles and music, probably four months after you started dating."

The taller man's jaw fell open - he read him like an open book. If he wasn't so offended (and slightly creeped out), he might even be impressed. There was the minor detail that he'd gotten wrong though, and he couldn't let an opportunity to correct the smug blonde next to him go.

"1. You clearly stalk me, because that was creepily accurate." A smirk crossed the shorter man's lips.

"2. If this were really clue and I had to read the cards, you would have gotten all but one of them, and therefore lost." The smirk deflated - Kurapika did not like losing.

"No shit? Argggg, I swear you're lying. At least tell me what part I got wrong?" The blonde had leaned in then, half empty wine glass in one hand, the other resting gently on Leorios thigh. He'd shifted to sit facing the taller man now, legs tucked below him, his head gently listed to the side causing his top knot to flop over. He was so focused on figuring out what he'd gotten wrong that he missed the glint in Leorio's eyes.

 _'So damn adorable...'_ The brunette shook the thought from his mind - this was not a conversation he'd imagined having tonight, but he couldn't really back out of it now.

"Well, I _was_ a sophomore in college - I was still too nervous to try anything freshman year. And it _was_ in my dorm room - I had my roommate leave, washed the sheets and everything. Might have even set the mood with a candle and some slow jams..." a snort left the smaller man, but he ignored it.

"And I _had_ been dating the person for a few months - six to be exact - before it happened." Kurapika was on the edge of his seat now, waiting for this earth shattering error he had been made to be explained.

"But the most crucial part of clue isn't the room or the weapon, it's the player. And that my friend, was your mistake." His lifted a single eyebrow then, lips thin and straight, completely taken aback by Leorio's statement. _'Of all the stupid things...'_

"Oh come on, so she wasn't named Jessica, you're really going to give me shit because I couldn't guess the name of the girl you lost your virginity to?"

The brunette's face softened at that, and he took another drink of his wine, eyes darting everywhere but to meet the blonde's.

"No, I would have let that go." His voice was quieter now, but also heavy with concern. He looked up then, eyes glazed over, something unspoken in them. "The problem is that it wasn't this generic Jessica of which you speak. His name was Pietro, and I think you'll agree that _that_ is a very different scenario than the one you painted."

It felt like it took hours for the blonde to wrap his clouded mind around the words he'd heard, because there was no way he could have heard that right.

 _'Her name was not Jessica... Her name was Pietro... No, his name was Pietro... **his** name...' _ And then the implications of that small confession hit the blonde like a freight train. The most basic assumption he had made about Leorio, the only one on his list that had any real reason to avoid wanting him was in fact, false.

_'Well shit, that changes things...'_

By the time he finally spoke, the sentence was so quiet that the brunette could have easily missed it. "So Pietro... was your boyfriend... and you lost your virginity to him." The words felt clumsy and awkward on his tongue, but his tone was light and far more wistful than he had wanted it to be.

"He was my... something. I don't think I'd call him my boyfriend, we never discussed labels and I'm not even sure if he was exclusively with me during the time we dated, but I know he was my good friend that I cared a lot about and he was the first guy I ever had a sexual attraction to. So when I asked him if we could - you know, 'seal the deal'" - the brunette raised his eyebrows suggestively at the blonde to further accent his point - "he said okay and I didn't question it. We kept dating for a few more months after that but he was a senior and when he graduated that was that. I dated a few girls after him, and I slept with some of them too, but I never met anyone I had a deeper connection with. Sex is great and all, but I don't really see myself as casually sleeping around, and it's a lot more work to find a relationship in a new city where you don't know anyone."

Kurapika could definitely relate to feeling lonely in a city where you didn't know anyone, but that was not the direction he wanted this conversation to take. He needed answers, and he needed them fast. "I see. So then you're bisexual?"

"I don't really know, to be honest I haven't given it much concern. Bi-sexual, pan-sexual, who fucking knows. Sometimes I like being in control - feeling something soft in my hands, the way women smell of flowers and fruit, the tiny gasps that leave their mouth when you're buried into them. And other times, I like to feel taken over - strong calloused hands grabbing my hips, the smell of pine needles and wet earth, the feeling of teeth sunk into my shoulder as a rough voice fights back a moan. The way I see it, if it feels good, no one gets hurt, and you're both consenting adults, then do it."

His words lit a match in the shorter man and suddenly his skin was on fire. "Shit Leorio, you can't just - fuck, you can't just say things like that!" If the blush that covered his face wasn't a dead give away, he was sure the obvious hard on in his barely there leggings was.

"So what, all that bravado from before is suddenly gone? You're the expert in sex here, not me. Anyway, I guess I thought that, well I mean, unless I misread the signs, I thought you were interested. You know, _sexually,_ in me. Was I wrong?"

Kurapika knew he should answer the question, but his mind was too busy short circuiting from thoughts of Leorio's hands on his chest and his teeth on his neck and his dick - but then those visuals came crashing to a stop when he realized that he had been silent for way to long. And now it was the brunette turning scarlet, his face contorting from mischief to embarrassment. He thought he had been wrong - he thought Kurapika wasn't interested in him even though he 100% was. Maybe it was the liquid courage - maybe it was the way Leorio had laid himself bare, completely honest and vulnerable - maybe it was the fact that Kurapika had desperately been trying to convince himself that having any sort of interest in Leorio other than friendship was a no-no, only to find out it could abso-fucking-lutely be a yes-yes. Whatever it was, he'd made up his mind.

"Fuck the list."

Suddenly the blonde had pounced - one leg thrown over Leorio until he was straddling him, crashing his mouth against the other. There was nothing soft or romantic about the way they kissed - it was too much teeth and too frantic, months of sexual tension finally coming to a head. For every bite and growl he gave, Leorio met with one of his own. It had only been a few minutes, but already he was drowning in everything that is Leorio - his scent, like tobacco and worn leather and old books, the way his hands grip his hips like a lifeline, hard enough to bruise but somehow loving and gentle, the way his mouth is on fire and stealing his breath while also acting as his only source of oxygen - everything about it is so fucking overwhelming and part of him wants to shove him off and hide away in a corner because it is just _too much_ , but an even bigger part of him wants to give into it because if this is what it feels like to let someone consume you then it's definitely the way he wants to go.

At some point - he didn't remember when or how - his hand had snaked down and found it's way into those jeans, the ones that had started all of this, grasping firmly around the taller man's cock. He gave it a few experimental flicks and twists, listening to Leorio's soft gasps and moans, until setting into a rhythm he liked. The angle wasn't ideal, but he didn't want to pull away from kissing yet, not when Leorio did that thing with his tongue that made shivers run down his spine. Much to Kurapika's disappointment, the brunette had decided for him and pulled away panting. His eyes were dark, pupils blown full with lust, a low growl on the verge of escaping his throat.

"Bedroom." It was intended as a question, but it had come out as a command.

"Down the hall, second door on the left." The Kurta barely got the sentence out before two strong hands grabbed his ass, hoisting him up as the taller man stood. He wrapped his legs around his waist, arms tightening their grip behind his neck and then they were on each other once again. It didn't make the walk easy, but it certainly made it enjoyable. They crashed into the room a few minutes later, and Leorio quickly dropped him down on his back, looming over him. His head was snaking its way down the blonde's torso, peppering it with warm open mouthed kisses and tentative bites, never once breaking eye contact. He was challenging Kurapika, trying to force out another moan or a breathless gasp. The blonde's poker face was good, and the smug smile never left his lips.

At least not until Leorio got his pants and boxers off with one motion, then quickly closed the remaining distance between his mouth and Kurapika's dick. Suddenly the Kurta was cursing in his native tongue, refusing to let the brunette know just how damn affected he was by every flick of his tongue, every graze of his teeth, every twist of his wrist. For only batting for this team 50% of the time, he was clearly still an MVP.

But it wasn't enough and Kurapika desperately wanted more, wanted to feel all of Leorio, wanted to fucking drown in him. He wasn't usually this wanton but something about the months of dancing around each other only to find out he could have had it all along fueled his desire, made him greedy and demanding. He grabbed the taller man by his hair and gently pulled him off with an obscene pop. He pulled again, signaling the man to bring those beautiful full lips back to meet his. And then they were kissing again, fighting to create a rhythm but too clouded by lust to get one to stick. The blonde rolled his hips up once, twice, three times, wordlessly begging Leorio to get on with it.

"Leo, come on already, I want you." It came out stronger than he'd expected, and quietly patted himself on the back for remaining so composed.

The brunette just looked back at him, concern marring his face. "Look Kurapika, I can't do that if I'm not exclusive with the other person..."

The blonde was confused for a moment, but quickly picked up on the situation at hand. "Oh, shit! Right, let me get stuff..."

The smaller man rolled over quickly to grab the small bottle and a foil packet, before throwing them down on the bed beside him. "There, condom, so we're good now right?"

"Uh, well, that's not really what I meant. Fuck, you look so sexy right now and I really want you Pika, but I-I can't. Sex is for relationships, I can't go all the way with you."

"Oh... wow um, okay..." the words stumbled from his mouth before he had time to stop them. Eloquence, thy name is Kurapika.

The more the words sunk in, his shock quickly faded into agitation. What kind of asshole thinks oral sex is okay but actual sex isn't? And even if this was a moral issue, he sure as hell could have said something before he'd sucked him hard. He was pissed, but he was also still very much aroused. Deciding that getting off was better than nothing, he turned his attention back the man towering above him. He took a breath to compose himself before plastering his trademark grin back on his face and staring Leorio down.

"Well then, I guess you better get back down there and finish what you started." Leorio's mouth fell open, his eyes blown wide. **  
**

-Kurapika's biggest regret of the night was not having a picture to capture the look on the taller man's face.

-Leorio's was not having a picture to capture the look on the smaller man's when he crawled back down and did just that.

By midnight, the two were a mess of tangled limbs and hastily discarded clothing, both trying to calm their breathing and come down from the high of finally getting off. Kurapika was the first to slip away, heading to the bathroom to get cleaned off. He came back a few minutes later, hair tied back up and with a new pair of pajama pants hanging low on his hips. "It's all yours." He motioned to the on suite, hoping Leorio wasn't the type to stay in bed without cleaning off first.

"Oh uh, thanks, I'll just need a minute." He grabbed his clothes off the floor and locked the door behind himself. Kurapika was lost in his own thoughts, part relieved that this had finally happened and that his crush - _'What am I, 12?'_ \- had not been unrequited, part uneasy about the fact he had just fooled around with a coworker without discussing boundaries first because drama at work was the last thing he needed. A quiet creak came form the other room, and he looked up surprised to find Leorio fully dressed and ready to leave.

"I uh, I can see myself out." He barely made eye contact, a blush across his cheeks. Where was the man that had carried him off to his bedroom and given him the best head of his life?

"Wait, Leorio, I... I mean, you don't have to leave. I wasn't gonna kick you out or anything. B'sides, it's late and we've been drinking..." Kurapika stood leaning against his bed, waiting for the brunette to respond. After an unbearable length of silence, he realized he may have read the situation wrong after all. "I mean, unless you want to go. Then that's fine, you're not obligated to stay or anything. It's not like we're anything." He'd said it to make the taller man feel better about leaving, but when looked back up at him he stared back like he'd been slapped.

"Shit, I didn't mean - look, I like you. You're smart and you're funny and I'm clearly attracted to you. So if you want to stay, stay. If you want to leave, leave. Your call." He really wished he'd put a shirt on now, standing half naked in this situation was uncomfortable, but asking Leorio to move so he could put on a shirt would have been even worse. The seconds dragged on, and the blonde was about to give up and crawl into bed when a deep sigh left Leorio's mouth.

"I like you. A lot, actually. And I know we probably should have gone on a proper date first or something, but I'm kind of glad we kinda skipped that part and went straight to fooling around. Don't know if I ever would have acted on it otherwise. You make me so fucking nervous." He spoke the last bit more to himself than Kurapika, but he'd heard it all the same. Any frustration he'd had went out the window with his confession.

The blonde let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Okay well, if we do this, I don't want to play games. I'm too old for that shit. If you want to date then we're exclusive, otherwise we can be fuck buddies, but it's pretty obvious you aren't interested in that type of relationship since you won't fuck me if we aren't dating."

The blush returned ten fold, creeping all the way to the brunette's ears. "No, I'm not interested in that. But I am interested in you. So let's try it. You know, dating or whatever."

"Okay." Kurapika did his best to play it cool, but he was pretty sure a small smile made its way to his face.

"Alright, well it's late, I should get going." Leorio turned to leave, but Kurapika caught him by the wrist.

"Seriously? We're dating now, and you're already here. Just stay tonight." He hoped it wasn't too much too soon, but he really was concerned about Leorio driving.

"Are you sure, I mean I don't want to impose, this all happened really fast and-" The blonde held up his hand to silence the taller man.

"Just get in bed. I'm too tired to argue." He climbed in bed, Leorio quickly stripping down to his boxers and joining him. They'd barely gotten settled when the taller man spoke again.

"I tend to move a lot in my sleep, so if it's annoying you or bothering you and you want me to leave just-" the words caught in his throat as an elbow found its way into his ribs.

"Leorio, I swear to God, if you don't shut the hell up, I am kicking you out in nothing but your birthday suit. Now quit freaking out and just go to sleep. "

He felt the taller man relax then, but he still didn't seem completely settled. The blonde was usually quite considerate of other's feelings, but if there was one thing he hated it was being kept awake. He rolled over gently, pinning the brunette back into the bed, one arm draped over his chest. He nuzzled into his chin, nose pressing gently along his neck, then shifting higher until his breath ghosted along Leorio's ear. "B'sides, now that we're dating, there's always the possibility of morning sex, so be a good boy and go to sleep."

For the first time since they met, Leorio was completely silent.

**Author's Note:**

> So uh yeah, that was the closest thing to smut I've ever written, because I am also a slut for Leopika.


End file.
